I am a Black American Descendant of Slavery (ADOS) and Juneteenth is my July 4th. While I am STILL searching for my ancestors across that water — I KNOW who my people ARE, and have been in these alleged United States of America.

My roots are in West Africa. I know this much is true because when I went to Gambia in 2010 (and a couple trips after, when my husband and I took our sons), I saw the Gullah culture writ-large: